Ganzhou: a City of Surprises

Ganzhou is a relatively unknown city located in Jiangxi Province, to the southeast of China. The fact that it does not feature on most Chinese itineraries does not mean it should be overlooked, though. Ganzhou is a city steeped in history, as I discovered upon my visit there. My first day was packed with amazing things to see. I was fortunate to discover that there was an ancient city wall that was free of charge to visit. The wall can also be climbed and views from the wall are amazing. Many of the bricks in the wall have carvings made by locals who lived in Ganzhou centuries ago. From the ancient city wall, I visited an ancient bridge that was made from wooden boats being tied together. Wooden planks were placed atop the boats and thus, one of the most amazing bridges I have ever seen was formed! This style of bridge has been in use for several hundred years, but from what I’m told, the one I visited was not quite as old as others around Jiangxi Province.

My second day was spent exploring the Old Town. This is a wonderful place to take photos and discover what Ganzhou looked like in the distant past. Cobbled streets wind and twist, revealing old houses with a typically Chinese flair and prevailing sense of historical significance. The rest of my day was spent wandering the streets, chatting to locals and trying some of the great street-food. I visited the city wall once more since many vendors seemed to have set up shop there, and because it was relatively close to Old Town.

I decided to travel a bit further out of the city on my third day in Ganzhou. I made my way to Sanbai Mountain, which was a great excursion since it left behind the buildings of Ganzhou and traded them for lush greenery and fresh air. I decided to hike for a few hours until I reached one of the many mountain peaks. The view of the surrounding area was fantastic, and I even encountered a few cascading waterfalls along the way. Overall, Ganzhou was quite the pleasant surprise, and is definitely worth checking out at least once.